Liquor bottle novelty closure system

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a unique sanitary closure system for liquor bottles wherein the capping technology incorporates a standard volume shot glass without screw threads. Furthermore, the system optionally includes a secondary sealing component enabling presentation of novelty shapes visible through the transparent body of the shot glass for marketing purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a novel closure system for liquor and other type bottles containing liquid. It features a unique bottle neck design incorporating a recessed seat with a sanitary gasket which accommodates the extended lip of a unique shot glass design inserted upside down. A threaded screw cap of unique design applies pressure to seal the liquid contents of the bottle by pressing the shot glass lip into the bottle neck recess thereby compressing the sanitary gasket, creating a sanitary seal.

The invention resolves the problem of other approaches to incorporating a shot glass as the sealing component of a bottle. Other approaches cannot claim to provide secure, sanitary closure of a bottle containing liquid. For example, provisional patent applications have attempted to incorporate a shot glass per the following:

-   -   1. US20080011710, Shot Glass Bottle Cap, wherein a threaded shot         glass base is intended to engage with the standard threads of a         bottle neck. This is an unviable design because glass-on-glass         threads are known to cause fracture of the threads during         tightening.     -   2. US20080116164, Shot Top, wherein a threaded lip is intended         to engage with the standard threads of a bottle neck. This is         also an unviable design and furthermore would render the shot         glass unsanitary because the internal threads would accumulate         bacteria.     -   3. US20120292283, Drinking Vessel Configured for Removable         Engagement with a Capped Bottle, wherein an O-ring mounted in         the shot glass base is intended to engage in a corresponding         groove in a bottle neck. This is an unviable design because it         does not provide a positive, secure closure for the liquid in         the bottle.

No existing United States patents have been found to claim a secure, sanitary mechanism for incorporating a shot glass in the closure mechanism for a bottle containing liquid.

Additionally, this invention incorporates a separate sealing device which may be inserted between the lip of the shot glass and the bottle neck sanitary gasket. This sealing device is typically fabricated of molded plastic and may be either a basic disk with a finger tab or a molded novelty shape visible through the transparent shot glass body.

This invention is intended to serve as a configurable combination of bottle, shot glass, and novelty shapes enabling a liquor distributor to market its wares in a continuous stream of compelling options for consumers. The novelty shapes may be enclosed under the shot glass in three ways: a) lying loose, b) retained by a base slot which matches the cross section profile of the finger tab on the basic secondary seal, or c) molded integral with the secondary seal.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a unique sanitary closure system for liquor bottles wherein the capping technology incorporates a standard volume shot glass without screw threads. Furthermore, the system optionally includes a secondary sealing component enabling presentation of novelty shapes visible through the transparent body of the shot glass for marketing purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the unique shot glass of standard 1½ fluid ounce capacity.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view representing one of many possible bottle closure configurations.

FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of one of many possible bottle closure configurations.

FIG. 4 presents isometric views of possible alternate cap configurations.

FIG. 5 presents isometric views of possible alternate novelty bottle seal configurations.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a possible alternative bottle design.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the unique threadless shot glass.

FIG. 8 is a side view detail of the shot glass lip.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a possible bottle design with a cutaway view of the unique recessed bottle neck.

FIG. 10 is a side view detail of the bottle neck.

FIG. 11 is a section view of one possible closure configuration with shot glass, open-top cap option, and novelty seal.

FIG. 12 is a section view detail of the shot glass and open-top cap closure with novelty seal.

FIG. 13 is a section view of another possible closure configuration with shot glass and basic closed-top cap option without novelty seal.

FIG. 14 is a section view detail with shot glass and basic closed-top option without novelty seal.

FIG. 15 is a section view of another possible closure configuration with open-top cap option and basic seal but no shot glass.

FIG. 16 is a section view detail with open-top cap option and basic seal but no shot glass.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a basic closure seal with protruding finger tab which anchors a separate novelty shape via its base slot.

FIG. 18 is a section view detail of a basic closure seal's protruding finger tab engaged with a separate novelty shape's base slot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following is a listing of reference numbers corresponding to a particular element referred to herein:

-   10 bottle neck with gasket seat -   20 sanitary gasket -   30 closure seal with novelty shape option -   31 closure seal with pour spout option -   32 basic closure seal -   33 novelty item with base groove -   40 shot glass with gasket pressure lip -   50 cap with open-top option -   51 cap with closed-top basic option -   52 cap with closed-top novelty shape option -   55 cap vertical wall mating with shot glass lip -   60 shot glass seal pressure lip -   61 shot glass lip outer rim -   70 bottle neck gasket seat -   80 bottle neck containment lip -   90 bottle neck gasket recess -   100 closure seal finger tab and shape anchor -   110 cap security ring -   120 novelty shape base slot

The present invention features a unique method for incorporating a standard-volume shot glass as shown in FIG. 1 as the primary sanitary sealing device for a liquor bottle. One possible bottle closure configuration is illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an exploded assembly of the design elements of FIG. 2 wherein a bottle with upper neck design 10 contains a compressible sanitary gasket 20. Resting directly on sanitary gasket 20 is one possible design of a secondary sealing device 30. The lip of unique shot glass 40 rests on the sealing device 30 and is compressed for full closure by the interior vertical wall 55 on the threaded open-top cap 50 by twist engagement with the threads on the bottle neck. Alternative options for cap configurations are illustrated in FIG. 4, with a simple closed cap 51 or a novelty shaped cap 52. Alternative options for sealing device configurations are illustrated in FIG. 5 with pouring spout 31 or basic seal 32. The basic seal 32 bears a protruding finger tab 100 which may also be used to anchor any novelty shape 33 such as a chess piece which bears a slot 120 in its base matching the profile of the finger tab 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18.

The uniqueness of the present invention is demonstrated in the design of the shot glass shown in FIG. 7 with detailed enlargement in FIG. 8 where the lip of the shot glass is extended radially outward as a flange with parallel flat surfaces. When inverted and inserted in the uniquely designed bottle neck 10, the shot glass upper flange surface 60 rests on the sanitary gasket 20 or the outer edge of an optional sealing device such as novelty shape 30 and the lip's lower flange surface is pressed downward with the cap's inner flange under screw compression, thus sealing the bottle's contents.

The unique design of the bottle neck is illustrated in FIG. 9 with enlarged detail in FIG. 10 wherein the surfaces of gasket seat 70 and shoulder 80 intersect with a recess 90 that retains the outer diameter of the sanitary gasket 20 with a slight radial compression fit. The diameter of shoulder 80 is sized with sufficient clearance to accommodate the outer rim 61 of the shot glass lip during closure assembly.

Virtually infinite variations in the component details of this innovative bottle closure system are possible and are considered covered by this patent application. Section FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration of the unique shot glass 40 seated on the flange of novelty seal 30 which in turn is seated on the sanitary gasket 20 with compression by threaded engagement of open-top cap 50 with unique bottle neck 100. The enlarged detail of FIG. 12 shows the sanitary gasket 20 retained by bottle neck recess 90 with the novelty seal 30 and the shot glass 40 lip rim 61 confined within bottle neck shoulder 80. Section FIG. 13 illustrates another configuration amplified in detail FIG. 14 showing the unique shot glass 40 seated directly on the sanitary gasket 20 without a sealing device, wherein the basic closed-top cap 51 compresses the shot glass lip 60 against the sanitary gasket 20 under threaded engagement with bottle neck 10. Yet another configuration is presented in FIG. 15 to demonstrate how the liquor bottle may be sealed after removal of the shot glass 40. Detail FIG. 16 illustrates the combination of a simple sealing device 32 compressed against the sanitary gasket 20 by the open-top cap 50 in threaded engagement with bottle neck 10. 

The present invention is original in the following ways:
 1. The shot glass 40 design embodies a lip flange 60 suitable for clamping by a cap incorporating an internal vertical wall 55, whether the cap is open-top or closed top.
 2. The bottle neck 10 incorporates a seat 70 internal to a shoulder 80 which ensures that liquid is not spilled as the shot glass 40 or any of the sealing devices (e.g. 30, 31, 32) is removed.
 3. The cap 50 (or 51 or 52 for example) incorporates an internal vertical wall 55 sized to mate with the shot glass rim 60 for applying the pressure necessary to securely close the bottle when the cap's internal threads are engaged with the bottle neck threads.
 4. The secondary sealing device, 30 or 31 for example, provides for incorporation of an infinite range of novelty shapes that may be molded from plastic and made visible through the transparent body of the shot glass.
 5. The basic sealing device 32 enables inclusion of separate novelty shapes molded in plastic, glass, crystal, or metal and made visible through the transparent body of the shot glass where such novelty shapes may be loose under the shot glass or a shape may be anchored by sliding engagement of a base slot 120 with the finger tab 100 on the basic sealing device
 32. 